I had no idea it would turn out to be the most-read article on Now Smell This. I was never completely satisfied with it, and 5 years on, it’s really showing its age. I probably ought to rewrite it in its entirely, but instead, I’ve taken the lazy approach and added a few updates below in brackets. I deleted some things, and added some things (additions are marked with an asterisk) — the list still comes out to 100. I should note at the outset that many of the fragrances listed here have been reformulated, and since I can’t possibly try them all again, I can’t be sure every one of them is still worth smelling.]
I’ll start with a disclaimer: this is not a list of the 100 Best Perfumes Of All Time, but rather, a list of 100 fragrances that anyone seriously interested in perfume should try. Put another way, it is meant to encompass a broad range of perfumes, good, bad, pretty, ugly, mainstream, niche, etc, and to provide a sort of general introduction to the subject of modern perfumery.
Some fragrances are included because they are Great Fragrances, others are here because they are so popular that it seems to me that you ought to know about them, still others, because they’ve spawned so many imitators that you ought to try the fragrance that inspired the trend. A few are here just because they are so weird or interesting or wonderful that they shouldn’t be missed, and a few more, just because I adore them, and think everyone else should too, although many of my favorites are not on the list.
Like any such list, it is wildly idiosyncratic, so just add “in my very humble opinion” to the whole thing. There are a few perfumes that almost have to be on such a list (Chanel no. 5, Guerlain Shalimar), but the vast majority are open to dispute; in fact, I argued with myself over any number of them. And, of course, the list exposes the massive gaps in my own perfume education. Some fragrances aren’t here just because I haven’t smelled them, or don’t properly appreciate them.
A few men’s fragrances are included, but only a few; it is by and large a list of women’s and unisex scents. I have also restricted the list to fragrances that can be obtained in the United States without jumping through too many hoops, and to fragrances that are worth smelling in their modern incarnations (e.g., nothing that you’d have to find a vintage bottle of to appreciate).
Eau d’Hadrien is included because I wanted to have at least one decent citrus on the list. Citrus fragrances rarely make the cut in “Best Of” lists, but it seems to me that the perfect citrus is as important, and probably just as hard to create, as the perfect oriental. Hadrien is as good a place as any to start your search: it is widely loved, although personally I prefer the somewhat weirder Eau du Sud. And while you’re at it, the rest of the Annick Goutal line is absolutely worth exploring too; I had a hard time narrowing down to the two others above.
Eau d’Hadrien is included because I wanted to have at least one decent citrus on the list. Citrus fragrances rarely make the cut in “Best Of” lists, but it seems to me that the perfect citrus is as important, and probably just as hard to create, as the perfect oriental. Hadrien is as good a place as any to start your search: it is widely loved, although personally I prefer the somewhat weirder Eau du Sud. And while you’re at it, the rest of the Annick Goutal line is absolutely worth exploring too; I had a hard time narrowing down to the two others above.